On Feb. 16, the winningest wrestler in Harrison High School history added another achievement to his resume, as 145-pound junior Tyler Joseph claimed his first Section I title with a 9-2 decision over Fox Lane’s Robert Gierum at Clarkstown South High School. For Joseph—who began competing as a seventh grader—the victory was a satisfying milestone, but the Huskies’ standout remains focused on his next challenge; competing in the New York State Tournament which will take place on Feb. 28 at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY.
Joseph breezed through the early rounds of last weekend’s two-day tournament, posting three straight pinfall wins before squaring off against Gierum in the finals. Despite not having an extensive scouting report on his opponent, the Harrison junior easily handled his foe in the championship round, controlling the match from the outset and posting a decisive win.
“I hadn’t wrestled [Gierum] this year and I hadn’t really seen him wrestle, so I was trying to just feel him out in the beginning,” Joseph said. “But I came into the match knowing that if I could wrestle my match, I could beat anybody.”
That confidence was well-earned, as Joseph entered last weekend’s tournament having lost just one Section I bout all season. That lone defeat came during the divisional tournament on Feb. 8, when he was outpointed by New Rochelle’s Cameron Burrell. Burrell would go on to place third on Sunday.
“It was definitely a wakeup call, because I had a pretty good year against Section I before that,” said Joseph. “But to come out today and finally get it, it really feels amazing.”
Harrison wrestlers have now captured Section I championships in each of the past two seasons. In 2019, senior Zach Finn won the 220-pound crown before placing fifth at the New York State Tournament.
Although Joseph was the only winner from the Review’s coverage area this year, he was far from the only local wrestler to shine at sectionals. Mamaroneck’s Owen Deutsch (106 pounds), Eastchester’s Tommy Dell’Aera (138), and New Rochelle’s Steven Burrell (160) and Nicholas Thomas (182) all placed second at the event.
Fox Lane ran away with the team title, posting 229 totals points, but New Rochelle (140 points) placed third and Mamaroneck (80) placed eighth.
